Paris Brest Paris (PBP)

Take part in a few Audax rides and before too long you'll hear someone mention "PBP" or even "The French Ride". PBP - or Paris-Brest-Paris, to give its full name - is the world's largest and most prestigious long-distance cycling event.

Every four years, in August, more than 6,000 cyclists from around the globe converge in the south-western outskirts of Paris with the aim of riding from there to Brest, on France's north-western tip, and back, covering 1,200km in fewer than 90 hours - and considerably fewer for the very fastest. Few who take part will ever forget the experience.

Audax UK was originally formed in 1976 to make it easier for cyclists from the UK to enter PBP by holding qualifying events in the UK. 1979 saw 49 British finishers; in 2015, more than 400 members successfully completed the ride.

One AUK member, Richard Leon, has so far completed the event 9 times.

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The next PBP will take place between 18th and 22nd August 2019. For more information on the History of PBP click here. As an ACP event, the regulations and enrolment processes are not the same as those of Audax UK. A brief overview is detailed below but the full requirements will soon be available on the Paris Brest Paris 2019 website.

Under ACP rules, as well as achieving validation of the Pre Qualifiying Events in 2018, it is necessary to complete and obtain validation of a Super Randonneur series of BRM events (one each at a minimum of 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km) before the end of June 2019 before PBP registration closeson 3 July 2019.

The dates for these qualifying BRM events in the UK in 2019 (dates may vary from country to country) are:

200km: Saturday 12th January - Sunday 28th April 2019

300km: Saturday 16th March - Sunday 26th May 2019

400km: Saturday 13th April - Sunday 2nd June 2019

600km: Saturday 4th May - Sunday 23rd June 2019

Validated qualifying distances are recorded as BRMevents for members of Audax UK to keep track of their qualification status.